Dare to Understand with Dr. Paul Bylsma

Learning isn't just about information — it's about courage. In this conversation, Melanie and Paul explore the idea that real growth requires two things working together: the empathy to meet something new on its own terms, and the bravery to step into discomfort without knowing what's on the other side. Whether it's a new subject, a new environment, or a new person, learning asks us to reach beyond ourselves — to suspend judgment, sit with uncertainty, and try anyway. When we have the right resources around us, what's left is a choice: will we dare to understand? Guest: Dr. Paul Bylsma is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling and the Graduate Program Director for the CECI M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA). Paul's research utilizes sociomaterial theories to explore teaching, learning, knowledge, assessment, and practice in a higher education context as a complex encounter between people, space, and time.